Wednesday, April 19, 2017

April 19th - Today Marks the Anniversary of the Outbreak of the American Revolution - April 19, 1775

Today is the anniversary of a date that is definitely worth noting, as it marks the 140th anniversary of the outbreak of the American war for independence from Great Britain.

It started in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. Particularly, with what is now known as The Battle of Lexington, when the "shot heard 'round the world" started it all. No one knows who fired that first shot to this day.

The British forces had been occupying Boston for years, following the active tensions from the Boston Tea Party and, prior to that, the Boston Massacre back in 1770.

Of course, most Americans will remember that Paul Revere and William Dawes set out the night before to warn colonists that the British were coming. They were coming further west to look for rebel leaders, particularly John Hancock and Sam Adams.

The Americans were ready, and fought the British, and this was the first battle of the American Revolution. It actually wound up being an American victory, although the British would hand the Americans a long line of almost unbroken subsequent defeats. The Americans would get some other early victories, however. One of the most famous came in my home state of New Jersey, when Washington famously crossed the Delaware. The other victory - and it was a major one that helped our allies to believe that this was not a lost cause - was the victory in Saratoga.

In any case, the whole thing that led to American independence began on this day in 1775.